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Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart | |
|---|---|
 Jacques Foccart (left), Hubert Maga (center), and Guy Chavanne (right) visiting a school in Torcy, Seine-et-Marne in 1961. | |
| Secretary-General for African and Malagasy Affairs | |
| In office 1960–1974 | |
| President | Charles de Gaulle Georges Pompidou |
| Succeeded by | René Journiac |
| Secretary-General of Rally of the French People | |
| In office 1954–1954 | |
| Preceded by | Louis Terrenoire |
| Succeeded by | Michel Anfrol |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jacques Koch-Foccart 31 August 1913 Ambrières-les-Vallées, Mayenne |
| Died | 19 March 1997 (aged 83) Paris |
| Nationality | French |
| Political party | Rally of the French People |
| Spouse |
Isabelle Fenoglio (m. 1939) |
| Parents |
|
| Signature | .png) |
| Nickname | Monsieur Afrique (Mr. Africa) |
Jacques Foccart (31 August 1913 – 19 March 1997) was a French businessman and politician, best known as a chief adviser to French presidents on African affairs.[1][2][3][4][5] He also co-founded in 1959 with Charles Pasqua the Gaullist Service d'Action Civique (SAC), which specialized in covert operations in Africa. His influence over French policy in Africa was so direct that Charles de Gaulle christened him with the nickname Monsieur Afrique ("Mister Africa").
From 1960 to 1974, Foccart was Secretary-General for African and Malagasy affairs under Presidents Charles de Gaulle and Georges Pompidou,[1][6] and was pivotal in maintaining France's sphere of influence in sub-Saharan Africa (or Françafrique) by putting in place a series of cooperation accords with individual African countries and building a dense web of personal networks that underpinned the informal and family-like relationships between French and African leaders.[2][5][7] After de Gaulle, Foccart was seen as the most influential man of the Fifth Republic.[8] But through SAC, he was considered to be involved in various coups d'état in Africa during the 1960s. Nevertheless, Foccart retained his functions during Georges Pompidou's presidency (1969–74).
In 1974, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing replaced Foccart with the young deputy whom he had himself trained. He was then rehabilitated in 1986 by the new Prime minister Jacques Chirac as an adviser on African affairs for the two years of "cohabitation" with socialist president François Mitterrand. When Chirac finally gained the presidency in 1995, the 81-year-old Foccart was brought back to the Elysée palace as an advisor. He died in 1997. According to the international affairs magazine The National Interest, "Foccart was said to have been telephoning African personalities on the subject of Zaire right up to the week before his death."
- ^ a b Johnson, Douglas (20 March 1997). "Obituary: Jacques Foccart". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ a b Whiteman, Kaye (1997). "The Man Who Ran Françafrique". The National Interest. 49 (49): 92–99. JSTOR 42897073.
- ^ Whitney, Craig R. (20 March 1997). "Jacques Foccart dies at 83; secret mastermind in Africa". New York Times. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ "Jacques Foccart". The Economist. 27 Mar 1997. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ a b Bovcon, Maja (2011). "Françafrique and regime theory". European Journal of International Relations. 19 (1): 5–26. doi:10.1177/1354066111413309. S2CID 145093241.
- ^ Office of the Historian (13 January 1970). "Foreign Relations, 1969-1976, Volume E-5, Documents on Africa, 1969-1972". 2001-2009 Archive for the United States Department of State. United States Department of State. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ Chafer, Tony (2005). "Chirac and 'la Françafrique': No Longer a Family Affair". Modern & Contemporary France. 13: 7–23. doi:10.1080/0963948052000341196. S2CID 73691402.
- ^ Whitney, Craig R. (1997-03-20). "Jacques Foccart Dies at 83; Secret Mastermind in Africa". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
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